Mountains for lunch

It’s the end of summer. Our garden has done what it’s going to do, the kids need to go back to school before they permanently convert the back porch into dirt-clay, flower-petal soaking, bike zoo. The crisp air and red leaves (yes, red leaves) have been calling to me and where better to spend the end of August than Acadia National Park?

This is not my usual sort of blog. It’s really just a bunch of photos because even after hiking most of these trails dozens of times, it is still a beautiful place to live and I want us all to know that. In case we forget while we’re cleaning up the flower-petal mud shop.

More specifically, I needed to tire myself out today – I needed a little pain training. I’ve got a month to squeeze in a few more long runs before the Vermont 50, and I’m seriously thinking about heading down to La Ruta Run in November (check it out and come with me!). So here goes, my Five Mountain Sandwich at Acadia National Park today.

At the last minute Ginger decided to stay in bed. He hates the rain

forgot to make kitchari last night, but I had time to steam some beets and potatoes (freshly dug from our garden). And there’s a rice-bread sandwich slathered with cashew butter and a bag of Cocohydro powder. Plus some Lara bars. And it all fit nicely into my favorite running pack.

I started at Eagle Lake and sort of followed the horizon left to right.

It’s really hard to run up the West Face trail of Cadillac. I walked.

On top of Cadillac, my first summit. Yes, I’m wearing shoes (and socks!)

The trail down to the Gorge before heading up to Dorr.

Dorr, my second summit.

Canon Brook Trail. Somehow I’ve never hiked this trail before but it’s made the news a lot this summer (people falling and needing to be rescued). It didn’t seem particularly perilous, but the geology was fabulous.

Super steep heading back down the west side of Cadillac from the Featherbed.

Pemetic, my third summit. Those beets and potatoes hit the spot.

Heading up the Spring trail to Penobscot (from Jordan Pond). I don’t remember ever seeing this safety railing before, is it new?

Steep, but dang, they build nice trails here.

Glacial erratic on the way up Penobscot.

Penobscot, my fourth summit.

Sargent Pond. I only stopped to splash my face, but a swim here would have been amazing!

Sargent, my fifth summit.You can see where I’m headed – all the way back to the north end of Eagle Lake.

I finally hit the carriage road and could really run again but Eagle Lake still looks far away.

Hi Richard, glad you like the photos. That’s the cool thing about our National Parks – their beauty never gets old! For mapping I use an app called Footpath. The image I put up is a screen shot from my phone.